When you hear the terms “vision statement” or “company vision” vision can seem like an esoteric thing that doesn’t really have any substance. But a vision should give you direction. It provides purpose and a reminder of what you aim to achieve.
Your company vision is the WHY for your company. It acts as a compass for all your activities, from interacting with prospects to making your next strategic hire.
“Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.” Bill Hybels
You might be thinking, “All that vision talk sounds great, but where do I start?” It can be daunting to come up with a whole purpose for your company’s existence. But hang on a minute. There was a reason that you do what you do in the first place, right?
Start there. You don’t have to use fancy corporate speak for crafting your company vision (unless you want to). Start with the basics of why you get up every morning, grab your coffee or tea, and look forward to another day of work ahead.
Let’s first look at reasons why you should create a company vision. Then I’ll give you some simple steps to make it happen.
Why Should I Bother Creating a Company Vision?
Okay, so you’re busy and are already running a great IT business. So, why even bother putting a vision statement into place? Here are a few reasons to take the time to complete this.
It Gives You & Your Team a Compass
Priorities can easily get muddled when you’re going about business. Do you prioritize speed or quality? How are you balancing customer experience with customer service costs?
If you have no vision statement, then priorities can be whatever someone thinks they are in the moment. This could mean a customer doesn’t get the additional one-on-one demo they asked for, the one that could have closed the deal. Instead, a salesperson may have read your 1- sales-call-per-person policy and was inflexible when a big prospect needed an additional conversation so they could include the decision-maker.
A company vision as simple as, “We strive to provide high-quality IT services that are also a great value. It’s our mission always go above and beyond for our customers,” would have given that salesperson direction. They would have known that, of course, you want to give the extra demo – after all “we go above and beyond.”
It Brands Your Company
When potential customers compare you to another MSP business, your strong and clear vision can help you stand out. In today’s attention-short world, people want to know what you’re all about – fast. Should they do business with you or not?
You can post your company vision on your website, and it provides great branding. In just a few sentences, a potential client can understand exactly what your company values. This can be the one thing they connect to that takes you from “just another IT company” to someone they want to align with for cybersecurity and technology support.
It Motivates & Inspires
A vision statement can motivate and inspire your entire team, and you as well. On those days when things may be going wrong and you want to just crawl under the covers, it can remind you of why you’re doing this in the first place.
Teams that have a clear vision and driving force are aligned. Instead of people pulling in different directions, they all understand the vision and can move together as a unit. 97% of employees and executives believe that a lack of alignment in a company has a negative impact on project outcomes.
Easy Steps for Crafting Your Company Vision
Step 1: Learn the Best Practices
Vision statements are meant to be comprehensive but not too wordy. In other words, you don’t want to write two paragraphs of stuff that no one is going to read and that will probably miss the mark.
Instead, keep your vision statement to about 2-3 sentences. Yeah, that’s not very many, and that’s the point. It forces you to cut out the fluff and get right to the point.
Another best practice is to be positive. A poorly written vision statement would be “We want to crush the competition and stop employees from leaving.” That’s negative.
Instead, you’d want to express something positive and inspiring, such as “We are innovators that stand out from the competition, and we support growth for both our customers and employees.”
Learning best practices can also mean utilizing resources that are out there. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. People that do this for a living have created resources to help you. Check out guides like the Vivid Vision template to educate yourself (and save time!).
Step 2: Describe Why You Created Your Company
Why are you doing what you do? What was the passion that drove you to create your company and to continue to keep the doors open all this time? This could be the first sentence in your vision statement.
It could be something as simple as having a passion for technology and helping people, or doing what you love to do while keeping technology fun for others.
People love hearing about the passion behind the company. Sum yours up in a few words. It reminds you and your team of the driving force (the raison d’être) for your business.
Step 3: Describe the Problems You Solve for Clients
Now, this part isn’t a sales pitch, remember, your company vision should be inspirational and act as a compass for you and your team. It’s also how you brand yourself and stand out from the competition, so include a sweeping statement that summarizes WHY people want to work with you.
It could be that “It’s our continued mission to secure SMBs from cyberthreats.” Or it could be something like, “We help enterprises tackle complex IT problems with streamlined solutions.”
Here’s a tip for this part: Read what your customers have written about you in reviews or emails thanking you for your work. What problems do THEY say that you solve for them? You can get some great insights by doing this.
Step 4. Refine & Get Team Input on Your Company Vision
Once you’ve finished the draft of your company vision, get input. More heads are better than one when it comes to something that is going to be a core description of why you do what you do.
Then once it’s finalized, put it somewhere visible for you, your team, and your clients as a reminder of what your company stands for and what drives you.
Final Thoughts on Creating a Vision for Your Company
Your company vision might just be all in your head right now. But it’s not inspiring your team there, nor is it branding you to prospects and customers. Take some time to draft your vision, and it will serve as a northern star for you, your team, and those around you.